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What if... Nintendo turned third party?

For all the negativity surrounding the Wii U there
is also lot of praise for the console. It just doesn’t
make as much noise within the industry as it probably should.

Recently, Codemasters’
Senior Executive Producer Clive Moody stated: "I think it [Wii U] is the
future,” when talking to ABC’s News 10 about the prospects of the upcoming next
generation of consoles. Will the Wii U be the “future” of home console gaming
like Moody thinks it to be? What if it isn’t – what happens then? Well, let’s
take a look through the looking glass, shall we?

Negativity

I’ve already mentioned this, but it seems that it is the negative commentary that is the loudest these days. With the Wii U losing third party
exclusives and missing out on key third party titles completely (e.g. Tomb
Raider, BioShock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto V, etc.), it seems that it is all
we hear at times in regards to the struggling console. We’re not debating this
here, because most of it is blown out of proportion, but what is understandable
throughout all of this is that there are some reasons for concern regarding the
console becoming one that’s played primarily for Nintendo’s first party titles.

With the Wii U’s worldwide install base currently sitting at
around the low three million units, it is not surprising to see third parties pulling exclusive
support for the console, as they have to make a profit. What is surprising though
is that some developers are apparently cancelling their Wii U projects completely. There is not
any way to spin this news – it simply is not good for the console. It was right
about here when this hypothetical idea started playing around in my head: what
if Nintendo shifted its entire focus on developing its incredible first party
games, instead of developing and marketing consoles that are less-powered than
its competition?

Third Party Nintendo

Before we go any further, let’s quickly step back a few
weeks beforehand: MCV posted an article that reported that Nintendo was merging
its handheld and console markets together into one so that it can, “investigate
future platforms that would satisfy both its DS sand Wii audiences in one” and a
Nintendo business report gave us some insight into its future strategy to take
advantage of merged operating systems and software assets across multiple platforms
(including new platforms).

Changes are definitely happening behind the scenes within
Nintendo, and while we won't see the fruits of this new strategy for a while, it's going to be interesting what comes of it. The 3DS is doing very well on the market in Japan, but
outside of its home territory neither the 3DS nor the Wii U is taking the world
by storm. It also looks
as if Nintendo is possibly about to tap into the mobile markets. A Miiverse app
on the iOS and Android Marketplaces would allow hundreds of millions of people to
tap into its new family friendly social network – possibly pulling them into a
console purchase thereafter – but there is slow progress here, with Nintendo developing a web application accessible by phones first.

In a recent discussion with a family member on this topic,
it was surprising how quickly I heard these words: “I would love to play Mario
on my PS3, but I’m not buying a Wii U.” Again, this got me to thinking - what
if Mario was on the upcoming next generation consoles? What if the upcoming
consoles are indeed über powerful and Nintendo spent all of its time and money
creating bleeding edge visuals and stunning gameplay like we’ve never seen before?
If the rumours are true that the upcoming console from Microsoft utilizes a new
and improved version of Kinect – imagine the possibilities of having first
party Nintendo titles that make innovative use of this upcoming technology.

Could
we ever actually sneak through a haunted mansion as Luigi, using nothing but our
bodies to frantically suck up ghost right from the comfort of our very own
living rooms? What about a Nintendo developed version of Kinect Sports in partnership with Microsoft? If
Nintendo did not have to worry about costly and inefficient console development, it could instead use
its capital to develop unique peripherals to create innovative gameplay
mechanics that tap directly into the immense power of these consoles. Its games
would sell and would be available to both the Nintendo loyal and the hardcore
gamers who don’t typically purchase Nintendo systems. Could this actually be a
better alternative for Nintendo?

Possibilities

What are the chances of Nintendo ever actually becoming
a third party developer? I don’t think there’s an easy answer to this
question. I think it could be a possibility at some point in time, but there
are also variables that could lead to Nintendo’s Wii U becoming a major player
in the next generation of consoles as well. In our recent interview with
Michael Pachter he made another thought-provoking statement that if true, could
bode extremely well for the Wii U: “I think that the upcoming generation [PS4
and Xbox 720] has the potential to be somewhat underwhelming, given that
advances in processing power will be less dramatic than in the past.” If this
is true – is it not possible that gamers decide to stick with their current consoles
that have enormous catalogues of fantastic games? If the cost of these two
consoles is significantly above the retail price of the Wii U, this could in
turn find third party developers finding the Wii U and its numerous control options
extremely appealing once again. Consumers
looking to purchase a new console could also be attracted by the (potentially) lower
entry price, which would also find them having access to Nintendo’s fantastic
first party titles as well. Could this actually be the future of the Wii U?

The Future

The gaming industry is undoubtedly within a paradigm shift. The future of the industry is unclear in what it will look
like in just a few years’ time. All we can do at this point is to wait and see
the happenings as they come and support the companies/products that we want to
see succeed with our pocketbooks. Last year saw a contraction within in the
industry and far too many talented developers have closed its doors. The cost of PC gaming is falling and the cost of console gaming
is continually rising, while mobile gaming on multifunctioning devices continues
to rise in popularity as videogames become more mainstream in digital format. As
the next generation consoles loom just upon us on the horizon, it is also unclear
if consumers will take to those consoles like some analysts project that they might.

What is clear though is that however the industry shifts in
the near future, Nintendo will remain. The chances of Nintendo dropping out of
the hardware market is most likely slim to none, but even if it did it’s
possible that Nintendo as a third party developer could be nothing short of
amazing. In its reorganization it is looking like it’s putting itself into a
position where it can be flexible for not only the current shift within the industry,
but those in the future as well. However the future unfolds, don’t take your
eye off of Nintendo – it just might surprise us all once again.

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